# Senior Software Engineer - Distributed Systems

**Company:** [Datadog](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/datadog)
**Location:** Boston, MA, New York, NY
**Role:** Backend Engineering
**Salary:** $130k – $300k/yr
**Experience:** 6+ years
**Skills:** Go, Java, Rust, C++, Kafka, Redis, Cassandra, Elasticsearch, Distributed Systems, Ai Coding Tools
**Posted:** 2026-04-15

> Designs, implements, and operates fault-tolerant distributed systems platforms handling billions of events per second using Go, Java, Rust, or C++. Requires 6+ years backend experience, exposure to high durability/low latency challenges, and AI tool proficiency.

## Job Description

## What You’ll Do

- Build fault-tolerant, horizontally scalable solutions running in multi-tenant environments
- Write in **Go**, **Java**, **Rust** or **C++**, amongst other languages
- Use **Kafka**, **Redis**, **Cassandra**, **Elasticsearch** and other open-source components
- Own meaningful parts of our service, have an impact, grow with the company

## Who You Are

- 6+ years of experience
- You have a **BS/MS/PhD** in a scientific field or equivalent experience
- You have significant backend programming experience in one or more languages (**Go**, **Java**, **Rust**, **C++**)
- You have been exposed to working on problems (high durability / low latency /…)
- You can get down to the low-level when needed
- You care about simple designs and performance
- You want to work in a fast, high-growth startup environment that respects its engineers and customers
- You have demonstrated ability to use **AI coding tools** in day-to-day workflows and validate, critique, and refine AI-generated output

**Bonus**: you’re motivated to push the boundaries of how AI can improve software engineering best practices and contribute to building AI-enabled products.

## Benefits and Growth

- New hire stock equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)
- Continuous professional development, product training, and career pathing
- Intradepartmental mentor and buddy program for in-house networking
- An inclusive company culture, ability to join our Community Guilds (Datadog employee resource groups)
- Access to Inclusion Talks, our Internal panel discussions
- Free, global mental health benefits for employees and dependents age 6+
- Competitive global benefits

The reasonably estimated yearly salary for this role at Datadog is: **$130,000—$300,000 USD**

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